The modern communications era has brought about a tremendous expansion of wireline and wireless networks. Computer networks, television networks, and telephony networks are experiencing an unprecedented technological expansion, fueled by consumer demand. Wireless and mobile networking technologies have addressed related consumer demands, while providing more flexibility and immediacy of information transfer.
Current and future networking technologies continue to facilitate ease of information transfer and convenience to users. In order to provide easier or faster information transfer and convenience, telecommunication industry service providers are developing improvements to existing networks. For example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, including LTE and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) networks, are currently being developed. LTE technology is aimed at upgrading prior technologies by improving efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum opportunities, and providing better integration with other open standards.
However, as these new networking technologies, which may comprise packet switched networks (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) capable network) are deployed, coverage by the new networking technology may not be universal. Accordingly, due to mobility of user equipment (UE), a UE may have to be handed over between a network access using packet switched technology, such as an LTE network, to a network access using legacy circuit switched technology, such as legacy second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) networks. Thus, in order to assure quality of service and avoid dropping ongoing communication sessions during handovers between network access technologies, the new networking technologies may have to coexist with legacy circuit switched networking technologies.